Music of the heart
by Gold Phantom
Summary: a story coinciding with  Allen's messed up life. explains who Sagerio is, his history, hearta's heratige and other things  rated for future lemons    Neah and oc Hearta
1. Chapter 1

GP: This is a new story Snow and I worked on. This is alongside of 'Allen's messed up life'. The pairing is Hearta, heart of innocence in human form, and Neah, the 14th Noah.

Snow: Let's begin! and we own nothing

~Year-roughly 1859, Location- Mid-Siberia, Russia~

On the snow-lashed plains of Siberia, very little lived in the extreme cold. And yet, the landscape itself was beautiful, snowbirds flying high in the brilliantly blue sky as pale brown rabbits raced across the frozen tundra, darting away from hungry foxes and wolves. Majestic mountain peaks rose to touch the clouds, and winding rivers gave water to the inhabitants, the various animals and the occasional human villager.

But along the Sikhote-Alin mountain range of the Southeast tundra, a pair of magnificent Siberian tigers paused to look up from the elk they had killed, turning to run from the impending intruders that reeked of danger, gore, and death. Even if the blood-smell attracted the predators, they shied away from the aura of sheer malevolence that approached over the horizon.

A few miles to the east of the mighty Amur river, a metallic screech split the air, startling the birds and other beings remaining, who fled as fast as they could. A group of floating black things, as well as a few other monstrous beings, were giving chase to a small group of humans, clad in black outfits rimmed in white and silver. One of the fleeing humans looked back at their pursuers, and swore loudly in Russian.

"Damn, they're catching up!" he shouted. The speaker, a male in his mid-twenties, looked with fear at the akuma who were beginning to gain on them, his blue eyes flashing to his three companions. An older man in his early forties narrowed his eyes, keeping an eye on a young girl whose strength was flagging.

The young woman was pregnant, the baby due in a few months. The young mother was exhausted, and shouldn't have been sent into battle due to her condition. Her blonde hair was streaked with blood, soot, and dirt, her pale face lined with sweat as she panted. The older man looked back, growled in frustration, and then, out of his uniform sleeve.

"Innocence, activate!" he cried, the small fox he had released glowing before changing size. The young woman nodded gratefully before mounting.

The other member of their party was a boy no older than 13, but he kept up to the best of his ability. His east Asian features were twisted into a scowl, tightly gripping the handle of the elegant sword hanging at his side as his amber eyes darted back to where the akuma were every few seconds. His face was set into a faint scowl, his short black hair spiky around his face.

The boy looked at the eldest, the middle-aged man, for his signal, and when the older man nodded, they all jumped onto the back of the parasitic beast, the fox swiftly bounding across the ground as their surroundings blurred from the speed. Suddenly, the fox yipped and leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding a blast of energy. The creature snarled, raising its hackles at the high-pitched giggle emanating from a few feet away.

The fox leaped away again as akumas followed them, shooting mercilessly at them in a barrage of deadly bullets.

"STOP!" the shrill young voice of the giggler shrieked angrily. "Those are for us, stupid akuma!" the voice continued. Down on the ground, a strange heart-shaped door had opened, the interior filled with swirling dark miasma.

Before it stood a pouting girl of no more than twelve, her dark blue hair falling to her shoulders and framing her ash-toned face. Upon her brow was a crown of black stigmata, and her feral golden eyes flashed with mischief, as well as barely contained malice and bloodlust. She was wearing a long white dress with a pale blue jacket covering her thin shoulders, her small feet bare in the freezing snow.

The Noah girl giggled again, her small face upturned as she licked at the base of a pointed candle she had pulled out of nowhere. Behind her, someone coughed pointedly, and she pouted.

"Rhode, don't waste time. It's rude not to introduce ourselves at the very least, what would your mother say?" a deeper voice teased. Rhode stuck out her tongue at her companion, unimpressed.

"Shadow-kun, I was going to anyway. And as it is, my stupid sub-human of a mother is dead, so she can't say anything!" Rhode growled. Her companion sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Pardon us, Rhode is only twelve, so her manners are rather lacking." the mysterious person said, stepping forward. The newcomer was in his mid-teens, with long, wavy black hair going midway down his back and loosely tied out of the way. He too had ashen skin and stigmata, his golden eyes were a few shades darker than Rhode's. "Ahem...I am Shadow, 15th apostle and the Noah of companion is Rhode, 9th apostle and the Noah of Dreams." he said.

The exorcists were tensed, warily eyeing the mysterious people who had appeared before them. The young boy had drawn his sword, looking ready to lunge at the strangers over the slightest hint of provocation, held back only by the warning hand of the young man on his shoulder. The Older man kept his face impassive, not taking his lined brown eyes from the newcomers who had commanded the akuma to stop.

"Who or what are you two?" demanded the boy, his frame shaking with tension. The young woman stepped slightly forward, tugging on his arm. Her body trembled as her lilac-colored eyes were fixed on the elder Noah, her honey-colored hair shaking in rivulets down her back as she clutched her lower body carefully.

"We are superior to humans! We are the Noah, God's true apostles. We are also the siblings of the Millenium Earl." Shadow explained. Rhode giggled again, twirling the candle in her hand. She noticed the pregnant woman and looked surprised.

"You, female sub-human, why is a girl in the condition you are even on the battle field" The Dark Order must be pretty desperate to risk you like that!" Rhode exclaimed. Shadow frowned, looking at the petrified young woman carefully. Her hood still concealed most of her face as she leaned forward slightly, still trembling. The young teen the woman was behind glared dangerously and growled low in his throat, raising his katana higher and taking a protective stance.

"Rhode, she's not wearing the uniform. I doubt she's an exorcist, though she's probably an accommodator." he said, still examining the woman. His gold eyes softened momentarily. "You're pregnant, and though I am a Noah, I still have morals. I refuse to kill a girl who is pregnant, it's not gentlemanly and it's horrific." Shadow said, his piercing gold eyes fixed on her. Then his eyes turned to the others. "As for you, I regret having to kill a child, but the two adults I have no issue with." he continued, his eyes flashing darkly as he leaned forward.

Rhode grinned sadistically as she waved a hand, hundreds of sharpened candles appearing as the akuma moved into formation.

The exorcists got into formation, the fox leaping forward to crouch snarling beside it's accommodator. The young man extended his hand, an iron staff leaving his sleeve. The boy tried to move forward, but the older man gave him a pointed look, so he stayed in front of the woman, obviously protecting her. He whispered something, and his sword began to glow with a bright yellow light before fading back to normal, though a tense energy could be felt pulsating from the blade.

The young man held the staff above his head, and activated his weapon as well. It extended in both directions, the ends turning into two swirling balls of green energy.

Shadow held out one hand, purple energy collecting in his palm. Rhode waved her hand, and launched the battle by sending a volley of candles towards the waiting exorcists. The young man twirled his staff, and the energy formed into a shield in front of them.

Shadow jumped high into the air, somersaulting once before landing catlike behind the older man, running at the exorcist boy with the sword while grinning madly. The teen cursed loudly and slashed at him, narrowly missing as Shadow twisted elegantly to the side. He grasped for the teens wrist, but the teen flung himself out of the way, rolling onto the ground and back to his feet in one fluid motion. Shadow watched as the woman surprisingly kept pace with the teen, her hood concealing her eyes from view. Shadow frowned, something in the back of his mind was warning him about something, but he disregarded it for now.

Shadow stood tall, withdrawing an object from thin air as his Noah grin widened. A golden hilt for a blade was resting in his open palm, the blade missing entirely.

"Che, you intend to fight me with that useless thing? Pathetic." the teen growled, his amber eyes not leaving Shadow's gold for a moment. Shadow frowned slightly.

"Oh, I guess you wouldn't know, then..." he replied, the smirk returning. "But don't judge by appearances, didn't your mother ever tell you that, brat?" Shadow said, his voice dark and taunting. The boy stiffened, his slanted eyes widening in shock, which turned quickly into pain, loss sorrow, and then into murderous rage in the span of an instant.

"Anata ga yarō fakku! Anata wa watashi ni tsuite nani mo shiranai! {F*ck you, b*stard! You don't know anything about me!} Shut your g*ddamn mouth and fight!" the teen shouted, his amber eyes glistening with killing intent. Shadow whistled, raising his eyebrows.

"Quite the foul-mouthed brat, aren't you? Shame, your mouth takes away from your appearance, little lady. A little spitfire like you shouldn't be on the battlefield, what a waste." Shadow sighed. The teen stared at him in shock for a moment, before erupting into further profanity, his amber eyes flashing.

"Anata wa aho no kuso! {You f*cking d*mbass!) I'm not a girl, dammit!" the teen yelled at the top of his lungs, his face red from both embarrassment and rage. Shadow stared.

"You're a boy?" he asked, disbelievingly eyeing the teen, whose eye twitched. "Are you sure about that? You look pretty feminine to me..."

"F*CK YOU! I'm MALE, sh*thead!" was the reply, the teen lunging at him. Shadow leaped into the air to avoid the silvered steel blade from slicing him in two, his golden eyes wide.

"Temperamental, aren't you? Jesus Christ, sorry about the mistake, no need to blaspheme me like that. And watch where you swing, this is a new shirt!" Shadow yelped, narrowly avoiding another deadly swing of the katana. The teen narrowed his eyes and backed up, readying to do something with his katana. The boy's amber eyes reflected light from his glowing blade once more, his shoulder-length raven locks billowing around his face.

Shadow's grip on the golden hilt tightened as black energy sparked from it. It began growing and wrapping around itself, shaping into a giant katana. The Noah teen clashed with the exorcist teen, and the sparks danced around from the blades that shone brightly from the impact. The pregnant girl watched them perform a deadly dance of clashing blades before suddenly falling down to her knees, crying out in pain and clutching her stomach.

Rhode briefly stopped sending candle volleys at the eldest of the exorcist trio to once more look at the woman with amusement.

"Eh...are you going into labor now? Shame, you and your brat will both die at this rate, poor thing."

"Road, is it really necessary to kill her? I doubt that she's a parasitic type, and she's pregnant. You WILL let the poor thing go...think this way, kill them when the child..." he stopped, grimacing. Black energy began leaking from him, and the teen exorcist backed away to avoid being affected by it. "NO, DAMMIT! STOP...I THOUGHT I GOT RID OF YOU!"Shadow screamed, his voice hoarse. Rhode immediately stopped her attacks and rushed to his side, just out of his range, while the exorcist trio grouped around the groaning woman. "Rhode...help, damn him, he's getting...free...**! NO, F*CK IT, you should be-" he stopped suddenly, as the human host started taking control of Shadow's body before Shadow could finish the sentence.

"GIVE ME MY BODY, I SWEAR I WON"T LET YOU HURT THEM!" his host yelled, trying to destroy the Noah in control.

Shadow's piercing gold eyes faded out, the irises bleeding into a deep, vibrant sapphire. The dark matter blade corroded as the blade turned yellow, replaced by solid steel. The halo of stigmas adorning his brow faded until they were gone, the ash-gray Noah skin becoming a sun-kissed tan. His jet-black hair turned dark purple, though it remained just as spiky. His host leaned a bit to the side, looking down at his black pants and half-opened white dress shirt with mild interest. He smiled, but it wasn't a happy or contented smile, it was a smile that promised trouble.

Shadow opened his eyes blearily, his head spinning, and found himself chained to the same throne that he had chained his struggling human soul to. His host stood there before him, somewhat tired but triumphant.

"You!" he hissed, trying to free himself from the chains. His host smirked at him, very pleased with their reversal in fortunes. The human stride forward slowly, like a hungry cat enjoying victory as it closed in on its trembling prey. Shadow stiffened as his chin was grabbed and forced upwards. He growled ferally as he looked into the deep blue eyes of his human host. He spat at him, and was rewarded with a look of disgust as the other teen wiped away the spit from his cheek. "Damn you, let me go!" Shadow shouted. The host glared at him, and Shadow yelped as his head was slammed harshly against the throne, the host gripping his head with taut fingers, longing to crush what lay between them.

"OI, YOU NOAH BASTARD! LETS SEE HOW YOU LIKE THE TORTURE OF WATCHING YOUR FAMILY DIE!" he shouted.  
>he woke up in his body and turned towards the teen boy, who raised his katana defensively. The older man gripped the boy's shoulder in warning.<p>

"Don't be rash, Misaki." the man warned. The fox swished its tail and growled at Rhode, who was silent and watching their interaction with her golden eyes, her smile replaced with a dark look.

"Don't call me that, Carlyle! My name is Rikiya, damnit! That f*cking Noah is obstructing our mission, the b*stard needs to die!" the furious teen replied.

"Rikiya Misaki...is that right?" the host asked. The teen nodded tersely, staring him down with narrowed amber eyes. "I guess I have to thank you for weakening the Noah enough to allow me to steal back my body...the damn Noah doesn't know how to kill someone, so he was creating his own downfall by keeping me locked up. I just needed him weak enough to get control." The host said, smiling darkly. He turned to face the older man, who was watching him carefully with cautious brown eyes.

"Who are you, and what it it that you want?" the man asked, tightening his hold on Misaki. The other exorcist was watching them, flicking his gaze between Shadow's host, the older man, and the young woman at his side.

"Man with the fox...thanks also. My name is Sagerio, I am the host of Shadow. The Noah took over my body and has been controlling me for the past few months." replied Sagerio. Sagerio looked to be maybe 17 years old, his blade hanging loosely from his hand at his side, electrical energy thrashing around the hilt. He turned towards Rhode, who had stayed still and silent throughout this exchange. "Rhode, I think you need to die for daring to attempt harm on these exorcists as well as that unfortunate woman. And I'm very much aware that you've been responsible for or killed by yourself many others who did no wrong to you." Sagerio said, as the yellow hilt bent into a bow the crackling energy turning into arrows.

The Noah girl suddenly laughed wildly as he loosed arrows in her direction, not even bothering to dodge as they impaled her small body. She grinned an impossibly wide grin as her golden eyes shone with bloodlust, pulling the arrows from her body. Blood soaked the ground below her as the wounds closed, crushing the shafts in her hand as her fingers burned from the released energy. The flesh and muscles repaired themselves, until within moments the blood flowing down her body had lost it's source.

Sagerio stood infront of the exorcists and pregnant girl, panting and sweating a bit. The attack had taken some energy that was a reserve left from fighting back his Noah. Though he put on a brave front, he was exhausted from taking back his body and attacking like that.

Rhode stepped forward, her face set and not giving away anything as she summoned another volley of sharpened candles, launching them in waves at the others. The fox swatted away most of them with its tail, its fur resembling burnished metal and shrieking harshly with each impact. The rest were batted away or sliced in midair by the exorcists, to prevent injury. She frowned slightly, tilting her head to the side.

"Shadow-kun~, why do you have to be so weak willed? Just kill the damned sub-human already, I don't want to get violent. It would be a shame to hurt you in order to make that suicidal fool retreat, but I will if I have to." she said, her golden eyes bleak and threatening, devoid of the bloodlust and childlike sparkle that had shimmered within their metallic depths earlier. The world began to warp beneath her feet, the icy ground shifting into a black-and-white chessboard pattern as the air took on a faint purple hue.

"Trying to lure us into that f*cked-up dream world of yours? So you won't even try to fight in the real world, how cowardly." Sagerio spat. Rhode simply gave him a disgruntled look. Without warning, Sagerio was hit by sevral cadles, the spikes impaling his right shoulder forcefully. He bit back a shout of agony, biting his lip and glaring furiously at the child standing before him.

"Aww, just give up already and be reasonable, it'll just hurt more if you fight me like that! You may have superhuman powers, but anyone can see that you won't last long. Shadow did put up a fierce struggle, he wouldn't just give up. It would be a shame to the name of the Noah clan!" she admonished, waving a hand as the air as the aura around her thickened. She shot another look towards the exorcists and the human woman. "I suppose that I'll deal with you another time, my family and I have some more urgent matters to take care of." she said, motioning them to leave.

"What's wrong child, aren't you going to get your little family?" Sagerio asked, trying to annoy Rhode on purpose. Though to the four behind him it seemed like he was trying to get himself killed, in reality he knew that she would be distracted while doing so, giving them a window of escape.

"Shadow...he is chained and is battling my soul." Sagerio said, watching Rhode carefully. "And your PRECIOUS brother is LOSING that fight, against a mere human. That is, discounting my birthright as a sorcerer." Sagerio continued. He smiled wryly as he raised a hand, yellow light enveloping his fingers like a halo.

"Laete, On, Immat, Pirahk, Ura, Koto-junai Suos!" he commanded, glowing symbols forming from the crackling yellow energy and circling around his hand. The symbols expanded, changing shape and racing towards Rhode. The Noah dodged backwards, her lips parted to summon her candles again, and Sagerio grimaced, his dark blue eyes narrowed. The light of the spell faded as summoned beasts attacked the girl, a chimaera running beside a flying gryphon, a charging manticore, and a galloping unicorn.

The four creatures drove at the Noah girl, circling and raging when she slashed at them harshly. Within moments, the manticore was decapitated, an unearthly shriek echoing as the child was splatted with green blood that faded into the golden light from whence it came. The unicorn lowered its horn, nearly impaling her while she was looking the other way. Sagerio turned towards the eldest exorcist, a weary look on his face as he stood his ground. The man regarded him cooly, assessing his potential threat. After a moment, his eyes relaxed slightly, but he waited for Sagerio's move. Misaki and the other exorcist kept wary eyes trained on him.

"Could you hand me the cylinder of innocence? It might be of help in releasing us from her dream world. If we don't, we're all dead." he stated, grinning weakly and wincing as Shadow pushed particularly hard. Sagerio closed his eyes, building up the last of his life force to fuel a spell.

The man eyed him as if searching for a suitible response, then tossed the cylinder towards Sagerio, who slid it onto his wrist. He fed his life force into the object, then took the cylinder and threw it in the air, shooting the last of his energy through it. The blast hit Rhode in the leg, and she screamed in pain from the combined innocence and magic. She drew back and prepared to summon the remainder of the Noah Clan.

"Are bhiat tsuloc!" Sagerio shouted, as Rhode's body was cloaked in purplish-black energy, a star pattern appearing on the floor of the dimension.

As the star pattern glowed brightly, the three remaining summoned beast charged at Rhode, screams like ripping metal echoing as the candles cut them down one by one. Sagerio sighed as the yellow glow of his energy enveloped himself, the three exorcists, and the pregnant girl. They faded from the dream dimension as the shadows of arriving Noah began to appear from one of Rhode's doors. They were falling down, plunging into a rift along the riverside filled with sharp rocks and freezing, merciless eddies of water and foam.

"Well...It seems that even though we just met, this is good bye... I can use rest of my soul magic to divert our course, but I can't hang on much longer..." Sagerio said, charging the last of his energy up. He drew in a halting breath, raising his hands once more as feeble yellow light twirled around them. "Aneij! Maia-ho! On! Qua'othros! Yvajhe!" he shouted, the light flickering and flashing as it expanded. The last of his soul magic erupted around the five, and brought brought them safely to the ground.

The teen and the elder man watched solemnly as Sagerio began to fade, turning transparent as cracks appeared in his body. The woman cried wordlessly as her hood fell back, revealing her tearstained face. If not for her obvious femininity and the differing colors of her hair and eyes, she could have been identical to Sagerio. His eyes widened as he loooked at her, softening as he whispered his final words.

" Tu? De ce? ... Îmi pare rău ... poate tine si copilul tau găsi pacea {You? Why?... I'm sorry...may you and your child find peace}." he whispered, as the woman reached out to him. Sagerio's body was starting to disintegrate into nothing, when faintly, Shadow spoke up from the depths of his mind.

'Listen Sagerio, as much as I hate you, if you die then I die as well, and I refuse to be reincarnated again so soon. Either we both live, or we both die. If you choose to live, then we will share your body equally. In battle I control it, and help you to fight for whichever side you choose. When not in combat you could have total control.' Shadow offered.

"Why should I let you live?" Sagerio responded, wincing when he felt his body wracked with pain as his organs began to turn to dust.

"You IDIOT, SHE is there before you, even though by all rights she should have died then! Will you give up any chance of being by her side?" Shadow shouted back. "Is it because she chose someone else? Are you that much of a coward?"

"I THOUGHT THAT SHE WAS KILLED BY AN AKUMA TWO YEARS AGO!" Sagerio argued, his face twisted in agony and grief. "IT'S BETTER IF SHE'S NOT INVOLVED WITH ME!"

"She obviously wasn't since she's right there! And if you remember, you jumped in and saved her, then the blast allowed me to fully awaken in you! And any idiot could tell you that she doesn't want you to die, SO DECIDE NOW YOU STUPID B*STARD!" Shadow yelled.

"FINE, IF YOU PROMISE AND ARE WILLING TO KILL YOUR OWN FAMILY I WILL TAKE YOU UP ON YOUR OFFER, NOAH!" Sagerio responded, coughing as his body shook with tremors, the cracks enlarging rapidly.

"Deal" Shadow said, bored. He then took control of their disintegrating body, his Noah healing causing it to reform itself. Sagerio felt the Noah's soul energy refueling his and then merging into it. Within a matter of moments Sagerio landed on the ground,sweat dripping off his tan arms. As he fell onto his back, the last thing his glassy eyes saw was the tear-stained face of the woman, her lilac eyes fixed on his own. As he smiled wanly, his world faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

Gold Phantom: This is the second chapter that goes along with Allen's messed up life

Snow: This story will focus mainly on Neah and Hearta in future chapters. This section is introductory for the remainder of the story, so pay attention, some major factors show up in the first few chapters. Oi, someone do the bloody disclaimer!

Rhode: Gold Phantom and xx-Snow White Sorrow-xx don't own DGM, they have too much free time.

Lavi: *popping up randomly* Duh!

Snow and Gold Phantom: Beat it, Baka Usagi!

Neah: *sweat drops* Let's begin, quit wasting time.

~~~

Sagerio felt strange, his body heavy and his head far too light. A sharp burning sensation laced through his skull when he shifted, causing him to let out a muffled hiss of pain. He blearily opened his hazy blue eyes, blinking slowly as his eyes adjusted to the half-light. When he carefully shifted to get his bearings, he noticed he was in a cave. He could del the warmth of a fire through his blanket to his left, with an additional heat source nestled against his leg. The fox growled softly when he tried to sit up, standing and racing off to alert its master of Sagerio's awakening.

'What happened? Why...Sh*t, where am I?' he wondered, looking around. Other supplies were in evidence a few feet away. 'I guess the exorcists brought me here...Oi, Shadow, are you there?' he asked mentally, wondering if their attempt was truly successful in the end.

'Yes. of course I'm here, d*mbass. You passed out and were brought to this cave two days ago. It took those exorcists a whole hour just to get HER to let you rest.' Shadow droned, sounding bored.

'I never would have expected her to be alive...all traces of her magic had vanished after that incident.' Sagerio mused, his eyes misting over slightly as he reminisced. Shadow snorted derisively, and Sagerio's eye twitched; the Noah was irritating him immensely.

'According to your memories, she had great ability for illusions and barriers. I didn't expect it, but I'm not shocked either.' Shadow replied.

'I guess so. It's been half a year since I last saw her. And she's pregnant, too. I should have expected that, though. We were both in arranged marriages already, after Vikas' death they must have made new arrangements. The Clans always were obsessed with preserving the bloodlines.' Sagerio growled. Rapid footsteps were advancing towards him, one of the exorcists approaching ahead of another, and SHE was following behind.

When Sagerio saw Her, he smiled and sat up straighter. With a wordless cry, she flung her arms around him, clutching him close. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed in relief that they were reunited at last.

"Lis, este că într-adevăr eşti? Ai supravieţuit că incidentul, după toate ... am crezut că ai murit atunci. Când te-ai gravidă şi cu al cărui copil? Avem nevoie de a avea o conversaţie privată, dacă este posibil {Lis, is that really you? You survived that incident after all...I had thought that you died then. When did you get pregnant and with whose child? We need to have a private conversation if possible}." Sagerio said, saying the last part somewhat sadly. Lis smiled and gestured to her throat.

"So you're finally awake." the man with the fox said, watching them closely. The younger adult behind him raised his eyebrows, his green eyes following them. As for Misaki, the boy scowled at the reunion, leaning against the cave wall. After a moment of silence, the elder man cleared his throat, waiting for their next move.

The eldest exorcist was tall and strong-looking, somewhere in his mid-forties, with dark brown hair streaked with gray, and dark brown eyes that took in every minute detail placed before him, reserving judgment until a proper conclusion was reached.

The young adult stepped forward, and Sagerio looked him over. The exorcist was of average height, with shaggy pale brownish-blonde hair and vibrantly green eyes, tanned skin, and a fit but not bulky body, covered in wiry muscle, and with hints to his facial features indicating racial heritage that was not purely European. He was about to open his mouth when Misaki rudely interjected his demand for answers, causing both the elder exorcists to give him exasperated looks.

"Who are you, and what the f*ck was with attacking us, then not only helping us, but somehow knowing the woman?" the black-haired teen spat out, his amber eyes cold.

"Not to be rude, but who exactly are you, and what is your relation to the Lady?" The young man asked, shooting Misaki a look that cautioned the boy to keep quiet. Misaki tched angrily and glared, his catlike amber eyes narrowed dangerously. The young man returned his piercing green eyes to them, waiting for a response.

"You know my name already. I am Sagerio Ivanov, I come from a long line of sorcerers. I assume that you know her name, I am rather curious myself as to how she ended up traveling with you. Also, it is rather rude to not introduce yourself first." Sagerio said, watching their every movements.

"My name is Ambrosius Erron. My elder companion is Dane Carlyle, and the boy is Rikiya Misaki, though his first name is Misaki. We are members of the Dark Order, exorcists to be exact, though we can assume that you are well aware of that fact." stated the young man. Sagerio nodded tersely, Lis rubbing slow circles into the back of his neck to sooth him.

"Is her name not Vasilissa Ivanov? You share a last name, are the two of you siblings?" the oldest exorcist, Dane, questioned. Sagerio and Vasilissa shook their heads.

"Yes, her name is certainly Vasilissa Ivanov, I call her Lis. We are not siblings, though we are related, distantly." Sagerio said, and watched as the elder males exchanged glances.

"Excuse my interruption, but how closely are you related?" Dane asked again.

"We are cousins, my father and her mother were siblings." Sagerio replied. He then paused, and continued after a moment of contemplation. " We are also betrothed." he said, and watched as they processed this information.

"So then you would be the father of the child Lady Vasilissa carries?" Ambrosius asked.

Lis turned to Sagerio and rapidly spoke to him in their native tongue, and he listened carefully to her soft, quiet voice, taking in the information.

"Sagerio, bătrânii amenajat cateva zile noi de căsătorie după dispariţia dumneavoastră şi moartea lui Vikas. Ei au presupus că Vikas ai omorât atunci când a luat propria viaţă, şi mă căsătoresc cu Dmitrius loc. Dar eu personal cred că sunt tată. {Sagerio, the elders arranged a new marriage days after your disappearance and Vikas's death. They assumed that Vikas killed you when he took his own life, and had me marry with Dmitrius instead. But I personally belive that you are the father}

"I would not know for certain...I would assume no, since the Clans have assumed me dead for nearly six months due to a set of unfortunate circumstances. Among the Clans, it is not discouraged to intermarry, or to have relationships before marriage. So I may be the father, which is Lis's personal belief." Sagerio stated. When he finished, Lis raised her head, her lilac eyes finding his blue. She firmly shook her head as she grasped his chin.

"Eu cred că acest lucru, deoarece am descoperit că am fost aşteptam la scurt timp după ce am fost căsătorit, prea repede pentru ca acesta să fie lui, deşi am reuşit să treacă de copil ca sa până când am avut să fugă {I believe this because I discovered that I was expecting shortly after I was married, too soon for it to be his, though I managed to pass the child as his until I had to flee}." she stated, eye flashing as if to dare him to contradict her.

"Dacă spui aşa, atunci acest prunc este al nostru. Odată ce suntem singuri, vă rugăm să explicaţi ce sa întâmplat în detaliu, voi face acelaşi lucru {If you say so, then this babe is ours. Once we are alone, please explain what happened in detail, I will do the same}."he replied, returning his attention to the waiting exorcists. Lis was not finished yet, grasping his chin and turing his head back towards herself.

"Aceste exorcişti ... ei nu vorbesc limba noastră, şi niciodată nu am putut înţelege limba engleză bine. Am avut probleme communnicating. Am fost cu ei pentru un pic mai mult de o lună, a existat un incident care a stabilit Dmitrius familia lui împotriva mea, aşa că a trebuit să plece {These exorcists...they do not speak our language, and I could never grasp English well. We have had trouble communnicating. I have been with them for a little more than a month, there was an incident that set Dmitrius's family against me, so I had to leave}." she warned him. He nodded in understanding.

"If Lis is sure that I am the father of her child, I will believe that as well. I'll be traveling with you as well, I don't want her to come to any harm. I will act as her translator, to clear up the language issue. Also, could someone please relocate my arm back to its original position? I believe that the kid may have been the one to dislocate it during our battle, though the fall might be responsible." Sagerio said. Ambrosius stepped forward, quickly and painlessly relocating Sagerio's shoulder.

"There you are. Now, we'd also like to know, why did you have that bizarre transformation?" asked Dane, the older man intense and on guard as he watched Sagerio. Sagerio sighed as the atmosphere became tense.

"The explanation behind that is that I was possessed by a powerful entity, known as Shadow. When he was fighting you, I was able to gain enough leverage to break his control, so currently he's out of commission."

" Why were you and that girl fighting us, was she a sorceress? How was it that she could command the akuma?"

No, Rhode is like me in that she was possessed by a similar being, but she willingly merged with it to gain more power. The beings, known as the Noah Clan, are spiritual entities that take over human bodies, possessing incredible powers. When killed, they reincarnate within another human sometime within the next years, the more dramatic and damaging the death, the longer the reincarnation takes." Sagerio stated, his expression guarded.

"And why was it that she commanded the akuma, and why did they obey her? They still should have attacked her, if she's human." Ambrosius queried, looking confused. Sagerio closed his eyes and took a breath.

"The Noah share close bonds, and follow the Millenium Earl, but rank above the akuma. The Earl himself is a member of the Noah Clan, the very oldest, in fact. No doubt, they are pursuing us, attempting to track me down because I host one of them. He can't cause anymore trouble now, so you shouldn't have to worry about him. I understand that your superiors will want to know more, we should leave here as soon as possible to prevent them finding us." he continued. The exorcist were eyeing him with disbelief, and he sighed, clutching his head. "If you don't believe me, then we can discuss this more later, we should leave now." he said, watching as they exchanged glances.

"Lubiţilor, vă uitaţi în largul lor, este ceva greşit{Beloved, you look uneasy, is something wrong?}?" Lis asked speaking there native tounge.

"Simt venirea lor, dragă. Noi trebuie să meargă înainte de a ne gasi, sau te vor ucide, copilul nostru, şi exorcişti, de asemenea, şi ei vor asigura căderea mea să mă împiedice să lupte împotriva Shadow din nou {I sense their coming, darling. We must go before they find us, or they will kill you, our child, and the exorcists as well, and they will ensure my demise to prevent me from fighting against Shadow again}." Sagerio replied, his eyes fixed upwards.

Ambrosius was watching him, realizing that something had happened from Sagerio and Lis's behavior.

"What's wrong? Are we in danger at the moment?" the exorcist questioned, his green eyes following Sagerio's gaze. Sagerio nodded and turned back to the trio, his blue eyes dark.

"The Noah Clan is searching for us, we need to get moving if you want to survive. If they catch us, we're all dead." Sagerio said, standing and wincing slightly at the abrupt return of sensation to his legs, which tingled unpleasantly. 'Let's go further into the caves, shall we? This whole mountain range is filled with tunnels and cave systems, we can lose them easily enough, because if they tried to blow up anything, they'd bring down the mountain on us, which they don't want; they want to kill us themselves."

Sagerio stood, lightly supported by Ambroisius, while Lis was gestured towards the fox.

"Serceogień will take you, lady Vasilissa." said Dane, gesturing towards the fox, which leaned down for the blonde woman to climd aboard. Dane and Misaki followed behind Ambrosius and Sagerio, Serceogień leading the way with a flick of its golden orange tail as they entered the caves.

The caves were an impressive place, large caverns that could have housed entire villages interspersed with small caves, all connected by winding tunnels. Grayish-brown stone walls, ceiling, and floor dripped with water, stalactites and stalagmites like sharp fangs protruding in places. After maybe a half an hour, they passed an underground lake, eyeless ghostly white fish swimming beneath the glassy smooth surface. Misaki shuddered when he saw them, the teen muttering something in Japanese in a low voice as he warily eyed the creepy-looking organisms.

Gradually, sounds of the akuma searching for them echoed throughout the caves, putting them on high alert. One of the tunnels ahead sloped down, which they followed when they heard a frantic pounding behind them, the enemy in hot pursuit behind them. They descended quickly and quietly, keeping the torch dim to prevent the half-light from alerting those who hunted them. The air grew heavier, warmer and yet cold within their lungs as they traveled farther into the bowels of the mountains. And a vague sense of being pulled, something calling for them began to affect them, one by one. Sagerio could feel a pulsing in his blood, a sense of danger and also of safety inundating his senses as they continued, the feeling growing with each step they took.

After a minute of following winding turns and further slopes, the area leveled out around a sharp bend, Dane raising the torch to examine the cavern that they had entered. The walls here ranged from a cloudy gray, to a pale pinkish brown, to a milky white, to a glassy obsidian black, the stone embedded with bits of crystal that reflected back the light in shimmers, the colors of stine and crystal swirling like storm winds in a hurricane across the walls and the impossibly high ceiling. In the center of the room, there was a lowered dip in the ground, a pit lined with fallen rock in a perfect circle. From the center of the pit rose an enormous pulsing crystal, green and iridescent, glowing with internal light.

The massive crystal was at least twenty feet tall, glowing with a faint aura. Specks of light, like a river of flashing stars, swirled within the crystal, illuminating a dark figure suspended within. A human body was outlined in profile, the gender indeterminate due to the body being curled into the fetal position. At the base, a black obsidian stone was inscribed with strange letters, the etched marks a startling white against the glossy black glass. Sagerio and Lis began to examine the crystal intently, whispered spells falling from their lips as they ran their fingers over the humming crystal, which warmed in response, Sagerio hissing and pulling back his fingers as they turned red and smoked briefly.

"Sagerio, iubirea mea ceea ce este acel lucru gigant şi de ce este ceva în buzunar stralucitoare?{Sagerio, my love what is that giant thing and why is something in your pocket glowing?}" Lis asked Sagerio.

Taking out the tablet, Sagerio walked closer and saw a tablet that was missing a peace. the little fragment Sagerio held looked like it fit into the missing area,so he placed it in. the tablet glowed and Sagerio began reading it.

"Hic requiescit Deus cor lacrimis vim formam et dejecit in terram. Praesidium humanum genus, inter homines ambulavit misit Dominus instituit. Primo bello Noe occisus et imago Millenium cecidit resurgere. ** triduum tenebrae factae cor incidit somnum, rursus excitare repertum. Qui legit hoc sacrificium offerunt cor eius ut rursum prælium super filios Adam et Eva, nisi ut tibi offerunt hoc vas cor hominis super terram sactuary tribueret. Deus exercituum, qui sequitur fletus et animam humanam salutem curare faciens de cognatione filiorum Noe." Sagerio read. Lis looked surprised as the exorcists looked confused.

"What does it say in English, d*mbass?" Misaki demanded, his amber eyes glaring in hostility. Internally, Sagerio wondered if scowling was Misaki's default expression.

"Well if you stayed calm, I would of told you by now, brat." Sagerio replied, rolling his eyes as the Japanese teen growled.

"B*stard, you're only a few years older at the most. I'm no brat, so shut the f*ck up if you can't be useful!"

"Someone needs an attitude adjustment, and it certainly isn't me, brat!"

"I'm going to slice you in two!"

"Just try it, you couldn't manage it if you trained for 100 years!"

"Cease, both of you!" Dane said, the elder man sounding annoyed.

"It was written in Latin, so I doubt you'd be able to read it anyway. The message says 'Here rests God's own Heart, His tears and power given form and cast down to Earth. To protect the race of man, the Lord sent his creation to walk among men and women. In the first great war, Noah was killed, and the Phantom of Millenium fell to rise again. When the Three Days of Darkness came, the Heart fell into sleep, to wake when found once more. He who reads this must offer their sacrifice that His Heart may fight once more for the children of Adam and Eve, may thee offer a vessel for His Heart to save this Earth and bestow sactuary upon humans. And may those who host the Tears of God follow the Heart, and in doing so ensure humanity's salvation from the Clan of Noah.'" Sagerio repeated in English. The exorcists looked at each other, and Sagerio cleared his throat, waiting for them to re-acknowledge him.

"I'd assume that God's Tears refers to Innocence. And if I'm not mistaken, God's Heart is another name for the Heart of Innocence, the key to this entire war, does it not?" He asked, noting how all three tensed when he mentioned the heart. He raised his hands in the universal 'I mean no harm' gesture, his eyes widening. "I'm not going to turn it over to the Noah, I hate them. According to the inscription, the Heart needs some sort of vessel, so we need something for it to inhabit." He continued.

Dane nodded, and examined the crystal with a look of wonder and of apprehension. Ambrosius was eyeing the entrance, listening to check if their location was in danger of discovery. After a moment, Misaki stalked to the bend in the tunnel leading into the cavern, watching for enemies.

Lis and Sagerio once again examined the Heart whispering spells that caused the Heart to glow and pulse again. The darkened figure with shifted, the glowing light wrapping protectively around the body. Ambrosius and Dane watched carefully, observing everything that the pair of sorcerers made, watchful for any sign of danger to the Heart. After several minutes, Lis laid five talismans in a circle around the glowing crystal, strange words spilling from her lips that seemed to resonate within the very souls of the listeners. When she finished, she took a step back, then rapidly gestured to Sagerio.

"Dragă, avem nevoie de ele pentru a ajuta, ritualul de oglindă Lunii necesită cinci participanţi, dacă ne dorim ca ea reuşeşte. Voi face parte Magic sânge, ar trebui să lucreze cu sheilding, astfel că nu sunt detectate {Darling, we need them to help, the ritual of the Moon's mirror requires five participants if we wish that it succeeds. I will do the Blood Magic portion, you should work with the sheilding so that we aren't detected}."

Sagerio nodded, then turned towards the observing exorcists. He cleared his throat, and they focused on him, while Lis pulled out a silver dagger from a pouch.

"We need five people to get this right, if this spell works, then the Heart will have a temporary vessel, a special mirror that Lis carries with her. I will but up a barrier to prevent the Noah from detecting us, and we should be able to transport ourselves out of here, Lis can create a portal if I keep up the barrier after the spell is finished." Sagerio said, his tone serious. Dane nodded slightly, Ambrosius shrugged in response and gestured for Misaki to come back.

"Just tell us what we need to do. We cannot leave the Heart exposed to danger." Dane cautioned. Sagerio nodded, striding to Lis and taking several objects from her to set up a self-sufficient barrier. He circled the room, placing seven small crystal orbs around the room as he chanted an incantation, adding talismans and adding drops of liquids from several small bottles around the perimeter before stepping back.

"Invoco auxilium divinae virtutes elementorum, ut perficiam opus nobis? Per ignis, aqua, per terram, per aer, fiat spiritus circumdare et implerent, pro tenebris et lux ad involvere et sheild nobis in hora opus {I call upon the divine protection of the mighty elements, that we may accomplish our task! By fire, by water, by earth, by air, let spirit surround and pervade, for dark and light to enfold and sheild us in our hour of need}!" he whispered, his voice echoing and deeper than usual, with an oddly dissonant quality, seeming as though several people were speaking at once. Each crystal glowed, a rippling shield forming and covering every inch of the floor, ceiling, and walls, shimmering faintly in the opening of the tunnel, as though a screen of mist lay there.

Lis drew the point of the dagger across the tip of her left thumb, crimson blood beginning to flow as she drew lines across the floor, connecting the talismans to each other with lines of blood and forming a pentagram, the lines intersecting and surrounding the Heart, which lay in the center of the circle. She allowed Sagerio to cleanse and bandage the cut, then took the vials that he used in the barrier spell. She dripped a greenish-brown liquid onto the first talisman, then water onto the second, an ashy green liquid onto the third, a golden white substance onto the forth, and then a purplish silvery substance onto the fifth and final talisman.

Sagerio knelt and drew symbols within the lines of the pentagram, using a concoction of metal dust and herbal juices from another bottle. When finished, he and Lis stood and gestured for the tree exorcists to join them around the circle. A pair of metal rods, one black and one white, was handed to Ambrosius, who held them out over the circle with some trepidationas he stood before the talisman with the golden droplets sprinkled across the surface. Misaki was handed a shell, which he stared at blankly, the teen looking uninterested. Dane held a wooden stick that had been carved with delicate flower desings, critically eyeing the sorcerers. Sagerio held a braid of herbs,and Lis a small white stone.

Sagerio snapped his fingers, blowing gently and watching a a small spark lit itself above his palm. He lit the end of the herbal braid, infusing the air with a smell of sage, cinnamon, clover, and several other scents that seemed vaguely familiar to the exorcists, though the names escaped them.

Sagerio blew on the smoking strand of herbs, wafting fragrant smoke across the circle, watching as it began forming patterns while he held out the palmful of flames. The smoke began forming images, replaying scenes of the past, faceless figures battling one another until a flash of black and white erased the projection, scattering the remnants of smoke to the edges of the circle. Lis bent down, placing a small, round mirror of polished silver in the midst of her sector of the circle, stepping back into place before nodding to Sagerio.

Lis and Sagerio began to hum together, two interweaving tunes that formed a lovely harmony, the crystal of the Heart resonating and humming itself. They began to sing as one, the language finally registering to the exorcists; Latin, the language of ancient civilizations, and still used by the church in hymns and scriptures.

"O Cor innocentiae, cristallum cor Dei," sang Lis, her voice a soft and sweet alto.

"Vis partes parentur sedes," Sagerio replied, his voice a rich tenor that soared lightly through the air.

"Ubi invenias requies in speculo regna"

"Ut vobis requiem intra donec potest in vas ceteris tempore"

"Propositum adimplere quod clarum mundi, quasi fato"

"Accipere hoc donum et in chaos potest exsules aeternum"

The blood lines began to glow, the talismans and metal-dust symbols pulsing with different colored lights. The section of the circle before Sagerio began to subtly glow red, heat radiating from the sector in waves along with the scent of smoke, as though fire raged within. The area before Ambrosius rapidly cooled, turning a golden color and vibrating slightly, the scent of the air crisp and fresh, as though cold, raging winds were trapped within the boundaries of the lines. Next the sector of the magic circle in front of Misaki emitted a roaring noise, glowing blue and emitting a salty smell, like ocean waves just out of sight. Then the area before Dane began to emit a green radiance, with the smell of flowers opening in spring and summer, the essence of earth's revitalization. Finally, the space before Lis erupted into a purple light, a sense of weightlessness and utter freedom, knowledge and all emotions emanating from within the lines of the circle, with a smell that could not be described by any words, familiar and yet foreign, irreplaceable in origin.

The Heart began glowing white in the center of the circle, the crystal turning nearly transparent as the symbols from the circle detached themselves from the ground and floated in ribbons of many-hued light around the Heart. The body with shifted, and in the light, the figure was at last revealed; a woman in her mid twenties, brown hair burned away to float messily around her scalp, terrible wounds marring her body, and the eyes blank and white in the face of the corpse woman.

"Ea este intr-o forma mai rea decât am crezut. Acum înţeleg de ce ea are nevoie de un nou vas ...{She is in worse shape than I thought. Now I understand why she needs a new vessel...}" Sagerio murmured, taking in the mutilated corpse. His blue eyes narrowed for a moment, then glowed fiery red, similar to the flickering glow of the lines before him. The flames in his palm grew in size, from a miniature candle flame above his hand into a brilliant red star that roared with heat and intensity, though he was not burned.

The rods within Ambrosius's hands vibrated as they were surrounded by twisting winds, his green eyes turning gold. Misaki's amber eyes turned blue as a skin of water swirled around him, and Dane's brown eyes glowed vibrant green as the branch burst into magnificent blooms, vines thick with berries and blossoms thrashing. Lis's lilac eyes glowed a violet color, the white stone releasing purple smoke that twisted in the confined space. Above the circle the mirror was floating, directly over the Heart. The flames, water, plants, winds, and the strange purple mist swirled around, and the ground shook slightly as Sagerio and Lis began chanting again.

"Aqua, lavaret quod ligat mortuis! Terra, rejuvenate et replete quod dat fortitudinem! Ignem, quod relinquitur mundare! Ventus, efferet quod indiget respectum! Spiritus, libera promissionem regeneratione! {Water, wash away that which binds the dead! Earth, rejuvenate and replenish that which gives strength! Fire, cleanse that which is left behind! Wind, carry forth that which needs respite! Spirit, deliver promise of rebirth!}"

The body disintegrated, leaving the Green crystal behind, and then was pulled into the mirror. Sagerio then placed a seal with a flick of his wrist, the glowing symbol appearing for a brief moment before fading into the surface of the mirror. The magic circle flickered and faded into nothing, the mirror falling down to be caught by Lis.

'That was rather dramatic, even through the barrier, I could sense that Adam detected what you did. If I were you I'd leave now.' Shadow cautioned from the back of Sagerio's mind.

"We should leave, the barrier didn't completely erase the traces of magic, though I believe that the Heart wasn't detected. The Millennium Earl is a sorcerer himself, so he can break this barrier if he is given any time." Sagerio sighed, and began tracing runes of light in the air as Lis used three of the bottled substances to draw symbols on the ground. Lis tucked the mirror into the bag she carried slung across her back, adjusting her cloak so as to cover it. Her simple white cloak provided decent shelter for the precious object concealed beneath it, satisfying her.

"Are on laete, ura immat zyn! Jhun-kaei!" Lis commanded, a warped blur in the air opening before her. She reached out a hand and pushed into the portal, which crackled with energy from her touch. She then withdrew her hand, unharmed and rolled her eyes at the shock on Misaki's face.

"Este gata, dragă. Noi trebuie să meargă, aţi putea prelua cristale de etanşare {It is ready, darling. We must go, could you retrieve the sealing crystals}?" Lis asked. Sagerio drew a final rune, the symbols dispersing around the room. He carefully extracted each of the seven crystal orbs that were holding the barrier. He then immediately returned to lis's side, and turned to face the exorcists, wincing when a loud noise emanated from overhead.

"We can leave now, go through the portal and be quick about it." Sagerio said, walking into the portal followed by Lis and the exorcists. Passing through the warped air felt like stepping through a waterfall, except they remained totally dry. The opening closed behind Dane, who was the last to walk through. Inside the portal, the walls of the tunnel looked like rippling glass, shifting color and moving with a life of their own as the companions made their way through. After several minutes, a faint light was seen, a white blur hanging in the air ahead of them. Sagerio stepped through it first, followed by Lis, Misaki, Ambrosius, and Dane. They were in a bamboo forest in Western China, several thousand miles from their previous location in Northern Siberia. The full moon was floating high above them, the midnight sky blanketed with brilliant stars.

"We're maybe several hours walk from the Asian branch." Misaki announced, striding forward and leading the way. Lis once again rode on the back of Serceogień, the fox striding patiently behind its master.

After two or three hours, they stopped to rest, sitting on the banks of the Yangtze river. Dane was busy checking Serceogień for any damage to the parasitic beast. Ambrosius was polishing the steel staff that was his anti-akuma weapon, the young man humming softly to himself as he worked. Misaki sat meditating beneath a tree that leaned over the river, his katana resting on his knees. For once, the teens face wasn't locked into a fierce scowl, his exotic features relaxed as his raven hair framed his young face.

Lis watched the teen, her lilac eyes curious. Sagerio was sitting beside her, his dark purple hair contrasting her wheat-gold as she leaned on him slightly. The young woman sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling slightly. She was relieved to be reunited with him after six months of separation, thinking him dead. She hoped with all her heart that they wouldn't be separated again when they reached The Order, for not only his sake, but for herself and the child she carried, which she truly believed to be his. Sagerio wrapped his arm around her shoulder, his dark blue eyes locked on her own as he gave a gentle smile. Suddenly, Lis began to cough quietly, her slim body wracked with spasms. Sagerio clutched her close, his face panicked. After a moment, she stopped, smiling up at him in reassurance.

"Iubiţilor, sunt te simti mai bine {Beloved, are you feeling better}?" Sagerio asked, his eyes concerned as he observed her closely. Lis blinked, and frowned slightly.

"De ce este că vă întreb, Sagerio? Am doar o răceală de vreme teribilă din nord, nimic nu sa periculos {Why is it that you ask, Sagerio? I merely have a cold from the terrible weather up north, its nothing dangerous}." she replied, caressing the side of his face gently as she looked into his eyes, willing him not to get upset. Sagerio's face softened, though his eyes remained cautious, his arms enfolding her body as though she was made of fragile glass.

"Anterior, că timp cu Rhode, va părea rău...{Earlier, that time with Rhode, you seemed sick...}," he replied, petting her pale golden hair slightly as he held her closer, protecting her from sight. She sighed lightly, then embraced him back, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Nu vă faceţi griji, voi fi bine, ca va copilul nostru. Am cu adevărat dor de tine, pentru ultimii doi ani, pe care am fost separat {Do not worry, I'll be fine, as will our child. I've truly missed you, for the last two years that we have been separate}." she whispered, relaxing into his warmth as he rested his forehead against her own.

"Dacă ceva nu merge bine cu gagica, vă rog să-mi spuneţi imediat, eu nu te pot pierde din nou! Eu nu pot suporta să vă lăsaţi de teama ca v-ar disparea o dată mai mult, nu să se întoarcă! I-am dat pentru a lui Noe, când am dat seama că ai fost plecat, gândindu-se scopul meu în viaţă de peste. Nu vreau ca să se întâmple din nou, pentru binele dumneavoastră şi pentru copilul nostru. Nu sunteţi de acord, dragă {If anything goes wrong with the babe, please tell me right away, I can't lose you again! I can't bear to leave you for the fear that you would dissapear once more, to never return! I gave in to the Noah when I realized that you were gone, thinking my purpose in life over. I never want that to happen again, for your sake and for our child. Do you agree, darling}?" Sagerio asked, his voice soft and echoing with pain.

"Eu însumi am fost slăbit, abia am interacţionat cu alţii, şi înainte am ştiut, am fost căsătorit de pe la Dmitrius. El nu ştie că tu şi am proclamat dragostea noastră unul cu altul, aşa că nu am dat seama că nu era copilul lui ... am putut simţi aura ta în mine, şi am ştiut că copilul nostru este a noastră, nu sa . Eu nu va lăsa partea ta, atâta timp cât voi trăi, şi vom creşte împreună copilul nostru cel mai bine ** putem. Forver şi întotdeauna, Jur pe sufletul meu în sine {I myself was weakened, I barely interacted with others, and before I knew it, I was married off to Dmitrius. He didn't know that you and I had proclaimed our love to each other, so he did not realize that the child was not his...I could sense your aura within me, and I knew that our child is ours, not his. I won't leave your side as long as I live, and we will raise our child together as best we can. Forver and always, I swear upon my soul itself}."she said, her voice firm with determination, saturated with her love for him and her relief that they would not leave each other in the near future.

After a few more hours, they were on the move again, rested and wary of enemies. They followed Misaki along the bank of the river, staying just within sight of the water, thought they took care to remain hidden from sight in the forests lining the banks. MIsaki stopped at a bend in the River, the teen's amber eyes scanning the forest ahead of them with his hand on the hilt of his sword. He relaxed after two minutes of observation, satisfied that the forests ahead were clear of enemy presence.

"We're almost there." the boy announced, then abruptly continued walking silently forward. The procession continued for a ways, when Serceogień let out a low growl, just as a tingling sensation traveled down Sagerio's spine. His eyes widened, whirling around with the golden hilt from before clutched in his hand. Glowing yellow light formed a fresh blade, which he held out before him, sliding into a battle stance along with Misaki. Ambrosius raised the iron staff that was his anti-akuma weapon, the metal elongating into a six foot staff. Dane laid a hand on his parasitic beast's flank, his face expressionless. Lis slid off of Serceogień, the fox not moving its glowing green eyes from the shadows, where a white series of lights rose.

"Well well well, what have we here? Three exorcists, a disobedient host, and a sorceress? A strange assembly, I must say." mused a woman's voice, rich and cultured, though oozing amusement and anticipation. A low growl echoed from within the light, causing the hairs on the backs of the observer's necks to stand on end.

"Morgan, do wait for the Ark gate to finish loading before charging off to torment them." a male's warm, musical tenor sighed. "I don't want you damaging my Ark. You tend to be too impatient as it is." At that moment, a young man stepped from within the strange projection of light, running his hand through his jet black hair.

The newcomer was obviously a Noah, his skin a dark grey, with the same golden eyes and stigmata marks as Rhode and Shadow had carried. He looked about 18 or 19 years old, his lean frame bespeaking a catlike grace. His hair was cut so as to carefully frame his face, short black bangs overshadowing his stigmata, while his ebony locks cascaded down the back of his neck to end just above his lower back, tied with a red ribbon. He was wearing a white trench coat over a form-fitting white suit, the pale fabric contrasting his dark skin and hair.

Behind him stood two others; a woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties, and a large, rather muscular man whose age was hard to determine. The woman was elegant in appearance, clothed in a fitted crimson gown that displayed her shoulders and throat, her deep blue hair plaited to her knees. Her golden eyes smoldered with a sense of predatory delight, and a sensual aura surrounded other Noah was extremely tall, at the very least six and a half feet. His hair was a shockingly light blond, cut short and pulled back from his face, which looked as though it had been modeled on the portrait on a Roman coin. He scowled imposingly, radiating a sense of irritation and bloodlust.

"So you caught up at last, Neah. And could those possibly be Raizel and Morgan with you? Wrath, Desires, and the Musician as well...are we that much of a priority?" Sagerio asked. The female Noah, Morgan, threw back her head and laughed, then locked eyes with Sagerio, her golden orbs feral.

"Our precious brother is trapped by you, you foolish subp-human. He is the youngest, so we of course must look after our precious Shadow. Though, I will ENJOY playing with you if you refuse to cooperate." the Noah of Desires purred, her voice promising pain.

Sagerio flicked his eyes to the first of the Noah, the youngest of the trio, who looked bored.

"Go ahead and fight if the two of you want, I'm tired. Don't kill the female, she could be useful, since she is a sorceress. And Morgan, please leave Shadow's host alive and in one piece, I'm not in the mood for a lecture from the Earl." the teen yawned, stretching lazily. Sagerio snorted, keeping one eye on Morgan while continuing to observe the teen Noah who was simply standing before the Ark gate.

"Neah, I never would have expected you to actually stay out of a fight...are you going soft?" The older male Noah spoke, scowling harder. Neah shrugged, then yawned again.

"I'm not in the mood, Raizel. You and Morgan have some fun, I'm content to watch for now." he said, rolling his eyes at the maniacle grins that spread across his companion's faces as they charged. Misaki and Sagerio began fending off Morgan, who was giggling insanely, while Dane and Ambrosius kept Raizel busy.

"Aww, such a cute little girl, what are you doing on the battlefield? To think, the church handed a SWORD of all things to a beautiful young woman such as yourself!" Morgan quipped, dodging Misaki's slashes. The exorcist growled, his aura turning into the flames of hell behind him.

"YOU DAMN B*TCH, I'M MALE!" Misaki yelled, his katana glowing brightly. The boy jumped into the air, holding the sword above his head. "Innocence, activate! First illusion, Hell's insects!" he shouted, swinging his sword and releasing a swarm of ghostly insects that homed in on Morgan, who shrieked in disgust.

"How horrid, those filthy beasts aren't fit for the eyes!" she exclaimed, shudding. She raised her hand and twitched her fingers, and Misaki froze in midair, unable to move. "Tsk, and calling a lady such as myself a b*tch is unforgivable, brat. It seems you need a lesson in manners as well as a PUNISHMENT for your insolence." she continued.

Sagerio took the opportunity to slice at Morgan, who released her hold on Misaki to avoid the glowing blade.

"Didn't you ever get warned to watch your back? Such a basic BEGINNER'S mistake, such a shame!" Sagerio taunted. Morgan lunged at him, kicking at his head. Sagerio ducked, and was joined by Misaki, the two of them taking turns in striking at her. The female Noah growled in frustration; each time she went after one the other would interfere while she was distracted, and holding two powerful opponents was difficult at best. She shrieked angrily when Sagerio's sword grazed her arm, ripping part of her dress. The wound healed quickly, leaving black blood trailing down her flesh as she fumed, staring at the ruined fabric.

"HOW DARE YOU WRECK MY BEAUTIFUL DRESS! THAT WAS A PRESENT, DAMN YOU!" she screamed, lasjhing her nails at Sagerio's eyes. He dodges, and she lunged again, but instead of pursuing him again, she kept going after he sidestepped, heading straight for LIs, who was holding out a sealing crystal that was reflecting back attacks that came too close. Sagerio and Misaki chases after the female Noah, who aimed straight at the sorceress. Misaki drove her back by summoning another horde of demonic insects, but just then Raizel, who has just batted aside Ambrosius like a doll, shot a bolt of energy at the defenseless teen, whose back was wide open. Without hesitating, Lis pushed the boy aside, hold up the crystal, which absorbed the attack. Sagerio continued to drive Morgan towards Neah again, Shadow and himself simultaneously controlling their shared body perfectly, a deadly dance ensuing.  
>2 days ago, 9:21pmAmbrosius was out of commission, panting hard and wiping blood from his mouth as he slumped on the ground. Raizel was punching at Serceogień, the nimble animal darting around the enraged man, biting, clawing, and snapping its jaws as it tried to catch the Noah off guard.<br>2 days ago, 9:24pmWithout warning, Morgan switched places with Raizel, who aimed a blast of energy towards Sagerio. When he dodged it once more, he heard a startled bry from behind him, and turned, his eyes open in horror. Lis was holding out the mirror that contained the Heart, and the rune set into the surface was glwoing white-hot, holding back a crackling burst of energy that writhed as it went after her.

She screamed out several inaudible words, her voice to shrill to make them out well. For a moment, the spell worked, but then the shield buckled, white light shooting from the mirror. Raizel and Morgan were struck, hissing in anger and pain as their flesh burned. Misaki, Dane, and Ambrosius were also struck, though they simply fell to the ground.

Neah narrowly dodged one of the bursts of light, grabbing onto Morgan and Raizel before dragging them through the Ark, which disappeared. The energy that had been assaulting the mirror recoiled, then in one swift motion, coiled round her wrist. Lis's body spasmed in shock as the electricity surged through her, her mouth open in a silent scream. Sagerio ran to her side, cradling her as she collapsed. Smoke rolled off of the mirror, which she still clutched in her grip. Her body twitched again, and she cried out in agony as she coughed up blood. Tears began to drip down her cheeks; the life aura within her stomach had disappeared, the bright spark, the promise of hope, had died, the baby killed by the electrical voltage running through her body.

~~~

Snow: And That's it for this chapter. By the way, in chapter one, there was a mistake, Lis and Sagerio were separated for six months, not two years. Sorry.

Neah: Shame on you, get the timeline right!


	3. Chapter 3

Gold Phantom: This is the third chapter that goes along with Allen's messed up life

Snow: This story will focus mainly on Neah and Hearta in future chapters. This section is introductory for the remainder of the story, so pay attention, some major factors show up in the first few chapters.

Rhode: I wasn't in the last chapter! No fair!

Neah: No complaining, I didn't appear in chapter 1, and I barely appeared in chapter 2.

Snow: Can it, both of you! And you! *points to Neah* Ignore the brat and say the bloody disclaimer already!

Neah:*bored monotone* Gold Phantom and xx-Snow White Sorrow-xx don't own DGM, the plot would be shot to hell if they did.

"Lis! Eşti bine! Uită-te la mine! Ce e în neregulă? {Lis! Are you alright? Look at me! What's wrong}?" Sagerio cried out, watching in horror as his lover convulsed again, coughing up even more blood, her pupils dilated as she gasped for air and her pale eyes rolled back in her head. The young woman's body was soaked with sweat, smoke rolling off her body as she writhed in agony, tears streaming down her face and mixing with the blood that trickled from her open mouth. Sagerio clutched her close, wincing as her limbs flailed, striking him with wild blows. He grabbed her slender wrists and supported her head and neck to keep her from chocking on her own blood.

" Poţi să mă auzi? Te rog, mi raspundeti {Can you hear me? Please, answer me}!"he shouted, desperate. Her struggles, so strong at first, were slowing, growing weaker and beginning to cease. He realized at that moment, that Lis was dying, their baby either dead already or dying within her. Tears ran unnoticed down from his panicked eyes, as he muttered spells of healing, hoping and praying to any that would listen that Lis and the baby would survive this, that he wouldn't lose either of them, the only things he considered precious that remained in this world.

"Stai cu mine, naiba {Stay with me, damnit}! Saiya'roh on! Liore! Geillu! Jadhi suos zyn! Aneij am favhr!" he screamed out, golden light bursting from his body and swirling around Lis's limp body, her own indigo energy swirling and meeting his own as it began to fade and flicker. He forced her energy into her body again, along with his own, replenishing her life force bit by bit.

He kept a hand over her heart as he drank from one of the vials; the taste of amaranth, mixed with rose, blackberries, and a slight hint of lemon, all of these substances used in healing magics. He then lowered his mouth to her own, giving the concoction to her by mouth. He continued this process, ensuring that she swallowed each mouthful, until the bottle was emptied. He placed his unoccupied hand on the ground, palm pressed into the ground as he tapped into the vast resources of energy flowing beneath the surface. The energy of the earth was vast, like the raging currents beneath the ocean, threatening to pull him from the shell of his body. The sensation was disorienting to say the least, Sagerio barely retaining a line of connection between his consciousness and his body while drawing upon the boiling resources of the earth itself.

He withdrew into himself once more, breathing hard, his entire body thrumming with energy, no, this was raw, untamed power trapped beneath his skin, causing his form to glow sporadically and shake with the force of the undiluted power that fought to return to below the soil once more. He breathed for a moment, regaining his bearings, before plunging himself into the flow of Lis's magic, her life force itself. Doing this was rather like throwing himself headfirst into an icy, raging river in midwinter, naked and raw with burns that were lathered until they bled with salt. He wrestled with the power drawn from the earth, diluting it within Lis's energy, and using this to heal the damage from the Noah's attack. As he did so, he noted the feeble flickers as the other presence, the unborn baby, briefly stirred before retreating into darkness once more. He grasped at it, but the fading light slipped through his fingers despite his struggles to draw it back into safety.

'NO! Our child cannot die like this! La naiba tot! Acest lucru nu se poate întâmpla {Damn it all! This can't happen}!' Sagerio yelled within his mind, reaching desperately for the life of his, of THEIR baby, which evaded his grasp, engulfed by darkness as the infant died again. Lis was already stirring, returned from the brink. And even though he had accomplished this much, Sagerio hated himself in that moment; he had failed. He saved Lis, his beloved, but their unborn child still was lost.

"...Sagerio? Ce sa intamplat ... te plângi {What happened...you're crying}?" Lis exclaimed weakly, raising her head to look at him, her expression shocked.

"I. .. Imi pare rau ... copilul nostru nu-l face. Eu nu merită iertare, aş fi putut să-l salveze! Dacă aş fi fost doar mai repede, atunci copilul nostru ar fi încă în viaţă! A fost vina mea, I- {I...I'm sorry...our child didn't make it. I don't deserve forgiveness, I should have been able to save it! If I had only been faster, then our baby would still be alive! It was all my fault, I-}!" he shouted, distraught. Lis cut him off abruptly, halting him mid sentence.

"Nu! Nu spun că ... nu a fost vina ta, ai făcut cel mai bun. Îmi pare rău pentru a nu fi mai atent ... a fost vina mea, nu a ta {No! Don't say that...it wasn't your fault, you did your best. I'm sorry for not being more careful...it was my fault, not yours}." Lis said, her voice softening again as tears spilled from her eyes, a sad smile adorning her face as she buried her head in Sagerio's shoulder.

'You are giving up this soon Sagerio?...you fought me furiously for your body, your control, while chained to a throne, useless, unable to do anything. This is easier then fighting me off, yet you already gave up your hope? Pathetic.' Shadow commented from the depths of Sagerio's mind. In the dream world, Sagerio stood before the bound Noah, eye to eye with his former captor. Sagerio glared at the other teen's words; despite being an accomplished sorcerer and warrior, he was still only seventeen.

'Don't you dare! If you had never appeared in the first place, then Lis and I wouldn't have been separated at all! You have no right to ridicule either of us, Noah!' Sagerio spat furiously. Shadow sighed, face palming, then straightened, brushing his black bangs out of his golden eyes as he shifted in the throne.

'Baka. You do realize that there is ONE way to save the brat, or are you that dense? The heart of innocence...if it works, then the brat will become the Heart's accommodator, and will survive. Its your last chance, so I would follow my advice if I were you." Shadow said, his voice condescending. Sagerio stared at him in shock, then returned to the present, embracing his lover as she cried for their lost child. He looked at the silver mirror, the symbol still embossed onto the surface. He reached for it with one hand, gingerly holding the one chance for reconciliation in his palm. He returned his gaze to Lis's tired face, meeting her glassy eyes.

"Lis ... asculta, exista o sansa mai mult, dacă ne elibera inima, atunci există posibilitatea ca acesta va accepta copilul nostru ca accommodator şi apoi copilul nostru ar trăi! Noi trebuie să încercăm, de ultima speranta {Lis...listen, There's one more chance, if we release the Heart, then there is a possibility that it will accept our child as its accommodator and then our child would live! We have to try, its the last hope}!" Sagerio whispered, his voice hoarse and pleading. Lis's eyes widened and she tried to sit up, but Sagerio gently lowered her to the ground, kissing her tenderly before drawing back, the mirror in hand.

"Fii atent, dragostea mea {Be careful, my love}." Lis whispered back, worry etched into her features. Sagerio raised the mirror to reflect the light of the full moon that hung in the sky, chanting in Latin once more.

"O Cor innocentiae portam custodit te ab aperiam ipsum Exaudi orationem meam, et rursus excitare! Accipere agnus hoc nascentium infantem, ut puerum unum qui fert tuum {O Heart of Innocence, I open the gate which keeps you from this world! Hear my plea, and awaken once more! Take as your lamb this unborn babe, may the child become one who carries your will}!" he called out, as the seal broke. The silver mirror transformed, green light pouring from within as the surface twas coated in green crystal. The glow grew brighter, the crystal emerging from the mirror like a flower from fertile soil. It twisted around itself, fluid as water, filled with the glow of a thousand stars. The massive structure shrank once it and fully emerged. becoming a small cube that floated above Sagerio's palm.

As if he was a puppet controlled by the strings of a master, Sagerio walked to Lis's side without conscious direction, kneeling and twining his fingers with her own as the cube rested into their palms. Slowly, it melted into liquid, and Lis raised her mouth to it, drinking it without hesitation. When the last drop had passed her lips, she shuddered as her body seemed to resonate, soundlessly crying out as she threw back her head. Pulsing light followed the beat of her heart, and slowly she calmed again.

Sagerio held one hand over Lis's heart and the other over her lower stomach, and though at first he sensed nothing from her womb, soon he felt a warm energy soothing and bonding to the unborn child, as the heartbeat of the baby restarted beneath his fingers. He smiled, and Lis laughed tiredly, hugging him tightly in relief. At that moment, her body was seized by contractions, and she bit Sagerio's sleeve to hush her scream of pain. Sagerio realized at that moment that the baby was coming, so he summoned a barrier to protect them while arranging some spare blankets from Dane's bag, making a bed for her so that she wasn't lying on the dirt. He ripped his sleeve to give her a gag, preventing her from biting her tongue off, and carefully removed the clothes on her lower body, spreading her legs as he positioned himself to catch the baby. Her water had already broken, and she thrashed in pain as another contraction seized her, biting down ** the gag. Her hands gripped at the blankets below her, nails nearly ripping through the cloth.

"Este bine, puteţi face acest lucru. Ai de gând să fie bine {It's alright, you can do this. You're going to be fine}!"Sagerio urged, gently rubbing her abdomen when she subsided for a moment, panting. Lis looked at him gratefully, then seized up again as another contraction hit her. He noted that there was some blood running down her thighs now, though the baby's head was nowhere in sight. He cleaned her the best he could, standing briefly to summon water from the river, which he set to boiling with another spell. He placed some spare clothes within, sanitizing then for when the baby finally Lis gave another muffled scream, he rushed back to her side, sparing a glance at the exorcists. All three of them were unmoving, though they seemed to be alive.

'The spell must have backfired, I'll check them for damage as soon as I can.' he thought to himself. Since there were no visible severe injuries on them, he decided to stay with Lis, who needed him more at the moment.

'Oi, you should probably get a knife or something else sharp.' Shadow yawned from the back of his mind. 'When the brat comes out, it'll need to be detached from her.'

"Alright...Lis had a dagger earlier...there!" he said, noticing the glint of metal from the bag Lis had been carrying. As he turned back to her, her head was thrown back as pained whimpers trailed from her mouth, her lips pale and stretched tightly as her face scrunched up in agony. "Lis, atârnă doar de! E în regulă, acesta va fi de peste cât de curând {Lis, just hang on! It's okay, it'll be over soon}."he whispered, letting her grab onto his hand and clutch tightly, wincing at her firm grasp. The minutes ticked by, the contractions coming faster and closer together.

'Any time now.' Shadow droned, still sounding bored. Sagerio glared at him in exasperation, then stiffened when Lis was hit by several strong contractions in a row, letting out a long, drawn-out wail of pain.

"Haide, că e modul ... împinge! Puteţi face acest lucru{Come on, that's the way...push! You can do this}!"he urged, looking and waiting for the baby to emerge at last. Slowly, a mop of dark hair became visible, slicked to the infant's scalp. "Împingeţi! Copilul va fi bine, şi aşa eşti! Doar împinge {Push! The baby is going to be fine, and so are you! Just push}!"He cried out, and when Lis gave a firm push, the baby slid out, the newborn wet and covered in various fluids.

Sagerio scrubbed the infant clean with the soaked cloths, then delivered a firm smack to the infant's rump, the newborn screaming loudly at the indignity. He carefully finished cleaning the baby, and when he looked carefully, he noticed something that made him smile in relief. He turned back to Lis, who was limp from fatigue. He finished cutting the cord, wrapping the infant in a clean cloth and handing it to Lis, who stared at their baby in wonder.

"Avem o fetita sanatoasa, deşi ea a fost născut un pic mai devreme. Ai facut o treaba excelenta, dragă {We have a healthy daughter, though she was born a bit early. You did an excellent job, darling}." he said, wiping his brow and smiling tiredly when Lis began crying tears of joy, wrapping shaking arms around their little girl, the infant continuing to wail. Lis lowered the girl to her breast, the infant immediately taking hold and suckling hard, quieting. When she finished, the baby rested on her mother's chest.

The baby was red faced from the loud wails, a squalling tiny bundle. Her skin was fading to a light pink, her wispy hair drying to reveal dark magenta waves in a fluffy halo around the small face. Miniature hands gripped at her mother's long hair, tired eyes opening to reveal orbs of a pale ruby shade. Around the newborn's neck were strange, tattoo-like markings, iridescent and shifting color in the silvery moonlight. The marks formed lines reminiscent of a celtic knot that wrapped around the small throat, dipping down to form a stylized winged heart symbol, directly above the collar bone

"Ea este perfect ... atat de mic, dar atât de frumoasă şi de viaţă {She's perfect...so tiny, but so beautiful and alive}." Lis said, her lilac eyes warm and happy.

"Ai un nume pentru ea {Do you have a name for her}?" Sagerio asked. Lis was silent for a moment, then looked at him carefully.

"Numele ei ... fiica noastră ... ea este gazda pentru inima lui Dumnezeu. Un nume de puternic ar fi mai bine, cel care se potriveste ceea ce ea va deveni. Kara ... pentru puritatea inimii ei şi sufletul...{Her name...our daughter...she is the host for God's Heart. A strong name would be best, one that suits what she will become. Kara...for purity of her heart and soul...}" Lis said, stroking their newborn daughter's soft, downy hair gently, as her lilac eyes were misted with wonder, happiness, apprehension, and sadness, all at once.

"Apoi Nadezhda, pentru speranţă, şi Ivanov ca numele de clanul nostru, ar fi că este suficientă {Then Nadezhda, for hope, and Ivanov as the name of our clan, would that suffice}?" Sagerio asked. He held the two of them close, his beloved and their child, feeling ready to cry again. 'It has been an emotional day, hasn't it?' he thought to himself, ignoring Shadow's derisive chuckle.

"Fiica noastră va fi Kara Nadezhda, cea mai pura Hope {Our daughter shall be Kara Nadezhda, the Purest Hope}."Lis said, as her eyes fluttered closed. Sagerio took Kara from her mother's arms, cradling the newborn carefully in one arm as he lowered her mother to the blankets for a well-deserved rest. Kara's initial squalling had ceased, the infant quiet as her faded-ruby eyes took in Sagerio, the girl's expression surprisingly solemn. For being so small, the child was surprisingly sturdy, heavy in his arms. Her hair was longer than he had originally thought, reaching just beyond her ears.

'Does this make me her uncle?' Shadow chimed from within Sagerio.

"Shadow, just shut up already." Sagerio groaned, rocking Kara.

'Well, you're the father, and I'm technically part of you, but I'm not her father either. So then, I should be the uncle, because you could compare me to a twin of sorts, I guess.'

'Your logic is incredibly annoying at the moment. Let's call you the irritating uncle and be done with it, and drop the subject. The real problem at hand is that we need to get out of here before the Noah return to finish us, they probably will come back soon to check if we survived.'

'True. check the exorcists, you know that backfiring magic can have serious consequences. If they didn't die, then their minds could be damaged instead, or less favorable things may have happened.'

'Okay. keep your senses open for the others, Noah can sense each other, so they know you aren't destroyed. Luckily for you, they still think that I beat you in a fight for control and blocked you from doing anything. That's partially true, but technically you're on our side mow, since by entering that contract, you can never gain control without my permission, and you wouldn't be able to keep it for long.'

'I'll handle that, get to work. The Dark Order won't be willing to listen if they think that you harmed their exorcists.' Shadow sighed, and Sagerio focused on the three exorcists. When he checked their energy, he sensed no permanent damage, he would need to wake them to check for the full extent of damage. He shook Ambrosius's shoulder, and slowly the older man's green eyes opened, his expression groggy. The blonde man sat up slowly, looking a bit dazed as he examined his surroundings. He noticed Misaki and Dane, rapidly tring to stand and go to them, but Sagerio pulled him back down when Ambrosius began swaying and listing the moment he got his legs under him.

"Who...who are you? Where are we? This is...Asia? How did we get here from Romania? Why are my companions unconscious?" Ambrosius questioned, holding out his staff threateningly as he entered a defensive stance. Lis sighed, and Sagerio eyed the exorcist for a moment.

'Well, this makes some things easier...' he though to himself. He looked Ambrosius straight in the eye and replied, careful to tell at least a partial truth.

"You and your companions saved my wife and I from a group of Akuma. We are sorcerers, and our child happened to be an accommodator of Innocence. We could fight them, but we could not destroy them. You became exhausted during your battle, there were more than 30 of them. Lis, my wife, and I opened a portal to here, in China, because the Asian branch would have the necessary facilities to fix some of the problems we encountered. We arrived a few hours ago. I don't know the way to the Asian branch, you three were supposed to guide us there." he replied, keeping his expression blank.

"Your child is an accommodator? What type...what form did her innocence take?" Ambrosius asked, slightly relaxing, though his guard remained up.

"Kara...her innocence is a tattoo around her neck. We aren't sure what it does exactly, but we can assure you that it's innocence. The akuma confirmed it by attacking her." Sagerio grumbled slightly, sounding a bit exasperated. He rubbed his eyes, wishing that he could lie down already; he had been awake for roughly a day, judging by how the faint signs of sunrise were emerging on the horizon, he had fought, used powerful, draining magics two day in a row, and he was still adjusting to regaining total control over his body after six months. He REALLY needed a long sleep in a bed, some relaxation time, and some food, but for the moment, he fought off his exhaustion and focused as best he could on the matter at hand.

"Sounds like a parasite type...rather unusual, but the scientists would know better than I would...may I see her?" Ambrosius asked. Dane and Misaki were stirring, the young teen jolting upright before falling backwards, while Dane rose slowly, keeping his dignity intact. Sagerio looked at Lis, who held Kara close as she slept, her face smoothed of the sweat and creases of worry. Kara was awake, the infant's strange crimson eyes watching them with uncanny, adult-like observation. Sagerio noticed that Kara seemed to have grown bigger when he knelt down to pick up the newborn. Already, she seemed to be twice her original size, the girl's magenta hair falling past her ears to brush her neck and jaw line in places. Her skin had faded from reddish-pink to a pale creamy gold color, her eyes standing out sharply.

"If you don't mind, I'd prefer that I held her, she's still young and needs careful handling, and I don't mean to offend, but she's all we have left, so..." Sagerio trailed off, standing with Kara sheltered in his arms.

'The brat...she seems different, probably the Heart's influence. The kid already looks like she's a few months old, even though she was only born a few hours ago.' Shadow pointed out.

Ambrosius walked closer, and looked down at Kara, who fixed her scarlet orbs directly to his, seeming to evaluate him. His green eyes widened and he took a subconscious step back. Sagerio pretended not to notice, and shifted the blanket wrapping the baby, revealing the marks on the girl's neck. Dane and Misaki had determined that Ambrosius was aware of the situation, and while Misaki took in their surroundings, Dane decided that it was time to speak with Sagerio. When the exorcist noted Kara, he blinked, then noticed the markings on the child's neck.

"Is there something wrong with her innocence? Is our daughter in any danger?" Sagerio asked. Dane contemplated for a moment, then shrugged.

"The scientists would know better than we would.

Lis started to stir and then woke up three minutes later. She rubbed her eyes, sitting up. When she noted Kara's absence from her arms, she looked to Sagerio, who was speaking with Dane.

"Sagerio? Ce ... Kara! Dă-Kara la mine, ea ar trebui să nevoie de asistenta {Sagerio? What ... Kara! Give Kara to me, she should need to nurse}!" Lis exclaimed.

"Aici ea este, dragă. Totul este bine, exorcişti va avea în curând să ne Filiala din Asia de Ordinul Negru {Here she is, darling. All is well, the exorcists will soon take us to the Asian Branch of the Dark Order}." Sagerio replied, handing the infant to Lis. Lis's eyes widened imperceptibly when she noticed Kara's growth, but she refrained from commenting, shifting her clothes so that Kara could nurse.

"So, then, we should head to the Order as soon as possible, the Earl will send akuma after us soon enough." Sagerio said. Misaki tched, and lead the way to the Asian Branch, stalking ahead angrily.

When they reached a large cliff area, Misaki paused, then rapped his fist on a flat section of the grey stone. After a moment, a light began pulsing through the stone, and a voice echoed from within.

"What do you want? You knew where this place was...did you come from one of the other branches?" it asked. Misaki grunted, then replied, looking annoyed.

"Oi, Fou. We're Dane Carlyle's group, we have an accommodator with us, and two...civilians...the brat's parents, that is. According to the father, they're sorcerers. We need medical attention, now. All of us have injuries, so hurry the f*ck up and let us in."

"Geez, same as always, brat." said the voice, sounding amused. "alright, I'll let you in." the light expanded, and the figure of a girl began to form slowly, as though passing through the wall. When she separated herself from the stone, she was revealed to be of average height for a female of Asian heritage, though her features suggested other origins as well; orange hair and red eyes that were slanted slightly. She was wearing a rather strange, skin-tight outfit, with long sleeves that covered her hands. She ran critical eyes over the six of them, and she looked a bit surprised when she noted Kara's presence. "So the baby's the accommodator? That's rare...I'm opening the door, so get inside or stay out here." she announced. A set of double doors appeared in the stone, creaking open, and the group entered, finally in the relative safety of the Asian Branch of the Dark Order.


End file.
